06 Jun 2022

Botswana Land Board Local Authorities and Health Workers Union (BLLAHWU) says it is worrying that workers continue to endure poor living conditions yet they play a fundamental role in creating wealth for the country.

Speaking during the union’s Lobatse Branch 50th anniversary celebrations on Saturday, BLLAHWU secretary general, Mr Ketlhalefile Motshegwa said there was a mismatch between the economy and the living conditions of workers.

 “We should start with the workers when we talk about economic empowerment and fighting poverty, otherwise we would continue having the working poor. We should not accept a scenario where workers retire into poverty,” he emphasized. Thus, he said BLLAHWU would never compromise the fight for better conditions and salaries of workers.

Statistics, according to Mr Motshegwa indicated that cumulative inflation over the past six years had risen to around 38 per cent and significantly eroded workers salaries. He said the union was therefore of the view that there should be significant pay increase to cushion workers against inflation.

The secretary general said BLLAHWU was pressing hard for implementation of the PEMANDU recommendations to develop a fat shaped salary structure for the civil service with many band levels within one salary scale. He said that would result in a holistic better payment of workers.

“If you go into the history of this union you will find that it is a militant and radical trade union. It is a union rooted in the working class agenda of class struggle, that the fight for better working conditions should be a fundamental economical question,” said the secretary general.

Mr Motshegwa said BLLAHWU was established in 1972 as ULGASA and was later on renamed Botswana Unified Local Government Service Association (BULGASA). He said after ratification of fundamental ILO conventions for collective bargaining, freedom of association and the right to organize, BULGASA turned into BLLAWU and later on the present day BLLAHWU, after inclusion of the health workers into the union.

The 50th anniversary celebrations by Lobatse branch was a build up to the national BLLAHWU 50th anniversary celebrations which would be held in September in Gaborone. The theme of the event was “50 Years of Militancy And Radicalism for Workers Welfare”.

Lobatse MP Dr Thapelo Matsheka, congratulated BLLAHWU for having attained 50 years. Dr Matsheka called on the union members and leadership to use the occasion to introspect the role they had played in shaping the economic structure of this country.

He advised trade unions to focus on economic, political and social justice instead of bargaining only. “If you focus on economic, political and social justice, advocacy will then become easier. It will be difficult to advocate for people in the absence of social justice and economic prosperity,” said the MP.

He said the unions should have a say in the structuring of the economy and development planning instead of only participating in the bargaining process. He therefore challenged the union in the next 50 years to have more engagements on economic transformation.

Lobatse Branch chairman, Mr Aaron Mariri said they had about 500 members in their branch. He said the members included employees from Lobatse Town Council, health facilities under the Greater Lobatse District Health Management Team, PASDEC Botswana and the Sugar Industry. ENDS